Obituaries

Funeral services for Zander Zephier, 23, of Wagner were held Wednesday, December 4 at the National Guard Armory in Wagner. Burial was in St. Paul’s Catholic Cemetery in Marty. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.

Leona F. Horst, age 90 of Yankton, passed away Friday, December 06, 2024 at Avera Sister James Care Center, Yankton. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, December 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Dante, with Rev. Jim Friedrich officiating.

Mary (Podzimek) Hochstein passed away on December 5, 2024, in her home with family at her side, after having valiantly fought Alzheimer’s/ dementia for the last decade. The celebration of Mary’s life and Funeral Mass will be on Thursday, December 12 at 10:30 a.m.

A Celebration of Life Service was held for Douglas James Kozel on Saturday, November 23 at Isburg Funeral Chapel in Pierre. Doug passed away on November 20, 2024 after a courageous fight with ALS. Doug was born on August 1, 1949 to Eugene and Genevieve (Wittmeier) Kozel.

Elaine C. Leraas, age 80 of Sioux Falls, passed away on Thursday, November 14, 2024. Funeral service was held Friday, November 22 at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory, Sioux Falls. In lieu of flowers, consider donations to the Special Olympics.

ored to serve the family and friends of Bette Koehn. Bette A. Koehn, of Avon, passed away November 10, 2024 surrounded by her family. She reached the age of 69 years.

Loren G. Davis, 87, passed away on Monday, November 18, 2024. Loren was born on July 5, 1937, to Scott and Alma (Noreen) Davis in Wagner. Loren, the youngest of eight siblings, proudly served his country as a member of the U.S. Air Force.

Bailey Olson, 28, of Mitchell, passed away Friday, November 15 in Mitchell. Funeral services were held Friday, November 22, at RiverTree Church in Mitchell/ Arrangements by Bittner Funeral Chapel. Bailey Allen Olson was born January 7, 1996, to Travis and Kari (Standy) Olson in Mitchell.

Robert John Tjeerdsma, 85, of Springfield was born September 10, 1939 on a farm west of Springfield. He was the son of John and Agnes (Schotanus) Tjeerdsma. He passed away November 12, 2024 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Funeral services for Lahoma Johnson, 85, of Wagner were held Saturday, November 16 at the National Guard Armory in Wagner. Burial was in the Leau Qui Court Cemetery in Niobrara, NE. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.